Exhaust-box for fruit-canning.



W. C. ANDERSON & A. R. THOMPSON.

EXHAUST BOX FOR FRUIT GANNING.

APPLIOATION FILED APR.24, 1911.

Patented Apr. 14, 191% N w m. 3 n Z; H W 2 m mdfl w m mi W. G. ANDERSON &'A. R. THOMPSON. EXHAUST BOX FOR FRUIT GANNING. APPLIOATION FILED 12.2 1911.

1,993,305, Patented Apr. 14, 1914i.

3 SHEETS-BHEET 2.

LEM" M 1h VEINTIE W. O. ANDERSON & A. R. THOMPSON.

EXHAUST BOX FOR FRUIT OANNING.

7 APPLICATION FILED 11.2 1. 1911.

1,,O98,305., Patented Apr. 14, 1911 3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

In V E. n D ["5 J/kkw vfwdmwam s i i a .i A a I v k WILLIAM C. ANDERSON AND ALBERT It. THOMPSON, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNORS TOANDERSON-BARNGROVER MFG. 00., OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, A

CORPORATION or CALIFOBNIA.

oeasoai To all whom it may concern Be it known that We, WI'IiLIAM C. ANDER- sort and'ALBERT R. ,THoM'PsoN, citizens of theUnited States, residing at San Jose, in the' county. of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Exhaust-Boxes for Fruit-Canning, of which the following is a I specification.

Our invention relates to the class of heati'ng or cooking chambers used in the fruit canning art, whether such chambers be what are specifically known as cookers, or as exhaust-boxes the purpose of which is to expel {the air from filled and syruped cans, bythe application of heat, prior to hermetically sealing said cans. For

the sake of simplicity We have entitled our invention exhaust-box and will for the same reason ,describe it in terms of such bo'xes, thoughit is to be understood that our invention is applicable to all heating boxes used for cooking or partial cooking in the fruit c'anners art;

In exhaust-Boxes, as: commonly-used, the cans are carried forward the length of the box by one carrier; are then shifted from said carrier over lupon an adjacent carrier andreturned to the firstxend of the box; are then shifted over to a third carrier and carried forward again; and so on through as many runs as the box is adapted for. This to and fro course of the cans is t'o gain the required time to which the cans should be subjected to heat, without having an undul long box; and in the common construction of boxes each carrier is a separate endless chain Y which passes through the box and returns under it, It is obvious that with such carriers provision must be made. to shift-the cansbodily from one carrier to the next; and it is in such means that difiiculties' are encountered, si1ch,'for example, as inaccuracy in the shifting resulting in obstructions, or such imperfection in the operation as to result in the spilling of the syrup.

Our invention contemplates an arrangement of a single carrier so disposed that it may be carried into through and out of the box in a to and fro Tcourse embracing as many runs as maybe desired, said disposition of thecarrierbeing such as to cause EXHAUST-BOX FOR FBU'IT-CANNING.

v Specification of Zetters latent. Patented Apr 1%, 1914, Application fi1edApri124, 1911. Serial No. 622,897. f M

box which we shall-now fully describe and claim by reference to drawings in which' a Figure 1 is a horizontal section through the box, above the plane of the carrier. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section of the box. Fig. 3

the accompanying is an elevation at one end of the boxshow- 1 ing the carrier driving mechanism. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the entrance end of the box. Fig. 5 carrier chain.

1 indicates portions of a sup-porting frame which carries the box 2. Within the box are the tracks for the traveling carrier and the tracks for the cans. These are parallel and extend lengthwise of the box. They may be in any desired number; we have here shown an assemblage of five. Each carrier track consists, as shown in Fig. 2, of a pair of inverted spaced angle bars 3. tracks consist of flanged bars 4, those at the .sides of the box being of angle section, and

the intervening ones being of T-section inverted. The can track bars flank the pairs of carrier track bars, and all the bars are so disposed as to form a series of horizontal surfaces which constitute the associated can and carrier tracks. Regarding one of those associated tracks as the inleading one, the farther end of this one is functionally connected with the adjacent end of the second one, as shown .in Fig. 1, by a curved can guide casting 5. The other end of this second track is similarly connected with the adjacent end of the-third track, by a can guide 24:; the other end of said third track' is similarly connected with the adjacent end of the fourth track by a can guide 25; andthe other end of the fourth track is similarly connected by a can guide 26 with the adjacent end of the fifth track, which may be considered the outleading track. Thus a continuous course is prois a perspective view of the The can.

up-edged links travel in the spaces between the pairs of track bars 3', the articulations of said links fitting andbeing well guided by said bars. The cans 8 are placed upon the carrier links 6, between the flights 7, and said cans find further support upon the flanges of the track bars l. Where one line of tracks joins the adjacent end of the next line are placed sprockets 9 around which the carrier chain passes, and the cans at these points travel around upon and are guided by can guides.

At intervals in the box are set crosswise ,the track supporting and bracing plates 10 which are notched out under the carrier, as shown in Fig. 2. These plates have drain openings 11 in their lower edges, and steam pipes 12 pass through said plates. The pipes 12 constitute the means for heating the contents of the box. Where the carrier chain emerges from the box it passes around a sprocket 13 which drives it. This sprocket receives its motion from a shaft 14, Fig. 3, on the top of which it is mounted, the shaft being driven by'a worm gear 15 on its lower end, engaging with a worm 16 on the drive shaft 17. As thecan passes out of the box it is delivered upon a disk 18 by the deflecting action of a stop 19. The disk 18 being rotated carries the can away. From the. driving sprocket 13, the carrier chain passes, as seen in Fig. 1, along one side of the box to its front and thence in any suitable courscaccording to the nature of 45 the plant in which the device is installed, said carrier chain is directedto the entrance sprocket 20, which leads it into the box 2, and directs it to the inleading tracks. Any suitable chain tightener may be used. We have here shown a form which consistsof a bracket 21 secured to the side of the box, said bracket having pivoted in its end an arm 22 in the extremities of which are mounted pulleys 23. The chaincarrier 55 passes between these pulleys. A spring 27 extending between the arm 22 and the -hra hot 21, holds both pulleys to the chain an "tightens it. The operation of the device is-as f lows: The filled and syruped cans are pla'c upon the carrier between its flights at bf. near the entrance s rocket'ZQ and'are'carried into the 'heate box. The cans travel throughout the stated course on the same chain and between the same 'flightsof the series chain. There is but one chain carrier, and there is no occasion to shift the cans, as is done in the case wherea number of endless chains are used. Each can maintains its place on the single carrier throughout its. 0 entire course, and progresses under'cond-i tions of stability which insure cleanliness H and avoid waste by spilling. Moreover, the

- single chainhere used by being set edgewise is adapted for the course illustrated and presents but a single outside return fold, and that fold at the side of the box, instead of as is usual with ordinary plural'chains which are set flat, presenting as many outside return folds as there are chains, and '30 these folds are under the box, where they are liable to collect dirt and to become un-- clean. i Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. In a heating box for fruit cans, and in combination with the box and means for heating it, a traveling carrier for convey-- ing open-ended. filled-cans in an upright position through said box, said carrier and cans being in the,same vertical plane, and said carrier being directed to move the cans in a to and fro course in said box at a uniform speed. I 2. In a heating box for fruit cans, .nd in combination with the box and meaiis for heating it, a traveling carrier and a can support for conveying open-ended, filled cans in an upright position through said 10w box, said carrier and cans being in 'the same vertical plane, and said carrier being directed to move the cans in ate and fro course over said support in said box at a uniformspeed, said support being soposilQ- tioned as to maintain said cans in an upright position.

3. In a heating box for fruit canning and in combination with the box having'an inlet and an outlet opening, and means for heating said box, an endless travelinglcan' rior for conveying the cans in an upright position into, through and out. off said box, said carrier entering the box through the inlet opening, and being continuously directed 1 in a to and fro course in a horizontal plane within the box, thence emerging from the outletaopening of the box and continuing beside the exterior of the box to the inletopening again. 12

4. In a heating box for fruit canning, and in combination with the box and means or heating it, a carrier chain having links provided with cross flights on one ed e, a

of horizontal parallel tracks wlthin 1 the boxcomposed. of pairs of spaced flanged bars to guide the articulations of the links and support the flights of the chain; a se-' ries of parallel flanged bars, flanking the spaced flanged bars and forming caii supporting tracks lying in the horizontal lane of the chain supporting tracks; curve canguides and supports at alternatel opposite ends of adjacent can tracks; and sprockets at said ends disposed to rotate in horizontal planes and arranged to direct the chain within the box in a to and fro course in a horizontal plane.

5. In a heating box for fruit canning, and in combination with the box and means for heating it, a carrier chain having links provided with cross flights on one edge, a series of horizontal parallel tracks within the box composed of pairs of spaced flanged bars to guide the articulations of the links and support the flights of the chain; a se ries of parallel flanged bars flanking the spaced flanged bars and forming can supporting tracks lying in the horizontal plane of the chain supporting tracks; curved canguides and supports at alternately opposite ends of adjacent can tracks; track-support other flange engaging the top of said sup port, and said bars being separated to leave an intervening space; an auxiliary series of tracks each comprising angle bars resting on said transverse supports and extending longitudinally of the box one to the outside of each of said first mentioned bars and havi ng upright flanges, segmental shaped guides at alternately opposlte ends of adjacent tracks, an endless chain carrier positioned in the opening of the supports and arranged in a sinuous course Within the box, course flights carried by the chain and overlying the opposite disposed bars of the first mentioned tracks, and means for imparting movement to said chain.

7. In a heating box for fruit canning, and in combination, a box having therein separated transversely extending supports with an opening in the upper edge thereof, a. series of tracks extending longitudinally of the box, each track including oppositely disposed angle bars one flange of which engaging one wall of said opening and the other flange engaging the top of said support, and said bars being separated to leave an intervening space; an auxiliary series of tracks each comprising angle bars resting on said transverse supports andcxtending longitudinally of the box one to the outside of each of said first mentioned bars and having upright flanges, segmental shaped guides at alternately opposite ends of adjacent tracks, an endless chain carrier positioned in the openings of the supportsand arranged in a sinuous course within the box, course flights carried by the chain and overlying the oppositely disposed bars of the first mentioned tracks, the said box having side inlet and outlet openings, a receiving member adjacent the outlet opening, means adjacent the outlet opening for transferring the cans from the tracks to said receiving member, H

and sprockets for the chains supported from the box and arranged to direct the chain partially around the box and through the same in a to and fro course. In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses,

lVlLLIAM C. ANDERSON. ALBERT R. THOMPSON. Witnesses Witt. F. BOOTH, D. B. RICHARDS. 1 

